Washcloth, dishcloth, scouring cloth, and the like, and method of making the same



Oct. 17, 1950 H. H. JONES 2,526,076

- WASHCLOTH, DISHCLOTH. SCOURING CLOTH, AND

THE LIKE, AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME Filed March 7, 1946 IN VEN TOR.[fa/01d H @7228 ATTORNEY.

' ticed.

Patented Oct. 17, 1950 we;

g y I 2,526,676

'WASI-ICLOTH, DISHCLOTH, sooURrNG CLOTH, AND .THE LIKE, AND METHOD OFMAKING THE SAME Harold H,- J ones, Parchment-Mich, assignor to KalamazooVegetable Parchment Company,

. Parchment, Mich.

Application'Mar 'ch 7, 1946, seria no. 652,690 7 The main objects ofthis invention are:

First, to provide a wash cloth, dish cloth, scouring cloth or the likeformed of paper stock which is highly efiicient, durable, andeconomical.

Second, toprovide' a method of'manufacturing ,dish cloths which. may:bei'economically prac- Objects relating todetails andeconomies of theinvention will appeanfrom the description to follow; Theinvention'is'defined and pointed out in the'claims.

A structure which embodies the features of the invention; is illustratedin the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view on an enlarged scale of a wash cloth or thelike embodying my invention,folded.' =2

Fig. 2 is a plan view of my improved dish cloth or the likeextended,partsbei g shown conventionally, and the'folding lines being indicatedby broken or dash lines. I

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view on line 3-3 of Fig. 1, illustratingthe'structure'and certain of the steps of manufacture. p

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary plan view.

My present invention is an adaptation 'of and in some respects animprovement upon the structurev of my Patent No. 2,112,963, 'issuedMarch 3,

1938. My improved wash cloth', dish cloth, or scouring cloth comprises asheet I of parchmentized preferably creped paper which is, in apreferred embodiment, treated with glycerine to increase its pliability.1 a

The sheet has a plurality of perforated areas 2 desirably souare andaligned in two directions, as is illustrated in Fig. 2. These perforatedareas are separated by unperforated cross strips 3 and 4, extending fromedge to edge of the sheet or merging into the unperforated border strips5. Thus each perforated area is completely surrounded and reinforced byan unperforated portion, the unperforated portions being continuous andreinforcing the entire sheet. Ihe perforations 6 are relatively smalland in the structure shown are arranged uniformly in parallel rows instaggered relation, or the perforations are zigzagged throughout.

It will be noted that viewed as rows the adjacent edges of adjacentperforations are substantially in the-same plane.

This permits the perforations being placed very closely together and thereinforcing border strips for the areas fully prevent the sheet beingtorn as a result of the perforations, even when subjected to very severeusage.

'5 Claims. (01. 15-2 9) 'ing. purposes.

cloth will become discolored, but it can be rinsed The sheet is welladapted for use as wash cloths, dish cloths and as scouring cloths, inwhich the sheets are subjected to very severe usage. For example Sapolioor like scouring material may be applied to the cloth and the cloth usedfor scour- In scouring aluminum ware the clean with little effort,whereas very considerable effort is required to clean a textile scouringcloth used in this manner.

As a dish cloth or Wash cloth, the edges of the' perforations provide amultiplicity of cleaning edges; the sheet becoming relatively soft-whenwet-a1; the same time is highly efficient.

The sheet is folded along the lines 1 into a pack form as shown inFig. 1. It is also folded in this form as a preliminary to punching outthe holes 6. See the enlarged View of Fig. 3. The folded sheet is placedin a punch and the central portions of the folds'punched out at the sametime resulting in a structure such as shown in Fig. 1 on line 33, withthe connected strips between the perforated areas.

The roughened surface resulting from the creping of the paper is also anadvantage because it provides additional cleaning projections and alsoholds soap and other cleaning material.

.When the sheet is wet it has a soft feel and may be manipulated readilyas a wash cloth or as a scouring cloth. The perforated areas permit freepassage of water through the sheet so that when the sheet is crushed orsqueezed and wrung out thereis no tendency for the water to souirt outas would result from the same manipulation of an unperforated sheet.

The sheets may be very economically manufactured and may if desired berepeatedly used, as the parchmentized paper is practicallyindestructible except as results from weanand as stated, the borderingand connecting of the perforated areas by unperforated strips orportions greatlyadds to the strength and life of the sheet and permitsthe perforations being placed conven ently closely together, which is adesirable feature.

While I have illustrated my improved feature mainly in conventionalform, it is believed this disclosure will permit anyone skilled in theart to embody oradapt my invention as may be desired.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

1. As an article of manufacture, a foldable sheet of parchmentized paperadapted for use as 3 a washcloth, dishcloth or the like and having aplurality of spaced areas of substantial size, each of said areas havinga multiplicity of relatively small closely spaced perforations, therebeing un perforated cross strips between the perforated areas extendingfrom edge to edge of the sheet and a continuous unperforated borderstrip joining the ends of the unperforated cross strips whereby theperforated areas are reinforced, the

width of said unperforated cross and border strips being relativelylarge as compared to the distance between the perforations in theperforated spaced areas to provide strength to the article as a wholeand to permit the perforations being relatively close to each other inthe perforated spaced areas;

said unperforated cross strips constituting folded edge portions whenthe sheet is folded, said perforated spaced areas being superimposedupon each other in the folded sheet with the perforations of one of saidspaced areas registering with those in all the other spaced areaswhereby in a single operation all of said spaced areas may besimultaneously perforated.

2. As an article of manufacture, a sheet of parchmentized paper adaptedfor use as a washcloth, dishcloth or the like and having a plurality ofspaced perforated areas of substantial size bordered by unperforatedportions, the perforations constituting means for passage of watertherethrough and the portions of the sheet in said unperforated portionsand between the perforations in said spaced areas constituting means forfrictionally engaging the article being washed, the unperforatedportions extending around the border of the sheet and extending acossthe sheet between the p'eforated areas from border to border of thesheet and constituting reinforcing means for the perforated portions ofthe sheet, the width of said unperforated portions being relativelylarge as compared to the distance between the perforations in the spacedperforated areas to provide strength to the article as a whole and topermit the perforations in the perforated areas being relatively closeto each other.

3. As an article of manufacture, a sheet of parchmentized paper adaptedfor use as a wash cloth, dishcloth or the like and having a plurality ofperforated areas of uniform size and shape, surrounded by connectedunperforated portions providing reinforcing strips between andsurrounding the perforated areas and connecting them in a unitarystructure, the perforations con: stituting means for passageof watertherethrough and the portions of the sheet in said unperforated portionsand between the perforations in said spaced areas constituting means forfrictionally engaging the article being washed, there being amultiplicity of relatively small perforations in each area arranged inoifset relation to each other, the width of said unperforated portionsbeing relatively large as compared to the distance between theperforations in the spaced perforated areas to provide strength to thearticle as a whole and to permit the perforations in the perforatedareas being relatively close to each other.

4. As an article of manufacture, a sheet of parchmentized paper adaptedfor use as a washcloth, dishcloth or the like and having a plurality ofspaced rectangular perforated areas spaced by unperforated cross stripsextending in both directions and joined at their outer ends byunperforated border strips the sheet being folded in both directions,the folds being centrally of said unperforated cross strips and theperforated areas being superimposed upon each other with perforations inone perforated area registering with the perforations in all the otherperforated areas.

5. The method of making a sheet adapted as a washcloth, dishcloth or thelike comprising the steps of folding a sheet of parchmentized paper intoseveral superimposed folds, the folding being in two directions incrossing relation to each other, and simultaneously perforating all thesuperimposed folds of the folded sheet in spaced relation from thefolded edges of the sheet, providing when the sheet is extended'aplurality of perforated areas surrounded by connected unperforated areasconstituting supporting and reinforcing means for the perforated areas.

HAROLD H. JONES.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent.

UNITED STATES PATENTS Great Britain Mar. 17, 1913

